Swaging tool



June 1, 1965 Filed Nov. 1, 1961 E. CLARK ETAL SWAGING TOOL 3 Sheets-Sheet l Fig. 3.

Inventors- Edward B. C\ark William Hamilton m muawM/mz Thenr Attomgy June 1, 1965- .5. CLARK ETAL 3,186,205-

SWAGING TOOL Filed Nov. 1. 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1nvehtors= Edward B. Clark William Hamlltonlll 3 m/m/sMMwz Their Attorney June 1, 1965 E. B- CL R ET AL 3,186,205

SWAGING TOOL Filed Nov. 1, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Z4 Fig. 5.

Inventors- Edward B. Clark William Hamllton 111 5 ml! 4 @MMWA Thelr Attorney United States Patent 3,1863% SWAGlNG TOUL Edward B. mark, Milford, and William Hamilton ill, Monroe, Conn, assignors, by mesne assignments, to Jones and Langhlin Steel Corporation Filed Nov. 1, 1961, Ser. No. 149,383 12 Claims. (Cl. 72-125) This invention relates to a tool for swaging tubular inserts or grommets to a surrounding wall. The invention is particularly suitable for securing metal inserts or grommets to the upper walls of ducts or cells employed in buildings having underfloor wire distribution systems.

In installing tubular members into underfloor ducts by swaging, the end of the member to be deformed or swaged is generally not accessible except through the opening in the member being installed. Consequently, it is necessary that a swaging tool for this use by capable of being inserted through the opening, and then placed into swaging position. Prior art swaging tools used for this purpose are somewhat cumbersome and awkward to operate and are of doubtful reliability.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved swaging tool.

Another object of the invention is to provide a positive acting and reliable swaging tool which may be inserted through a tubular insert or grommet to form an outwardly extending flange to secure the insert or grommet to a surrounding wall.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved swaging tool for installing metal inserts or grommets to the upper surface of ducts or cells used in underfloor wire distribution systems.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved swaging tool which is adjustable so that it can overcome the varying torque resistances of the members to be swaged.

Another object is to provide a swaging tool that can be operated by simple hand tools.

Briefly stated, the invention relates to a swaging tool comprising an outer housing, a collar rotatably supported within the housing, a swaging element pivotally attached to one end of the collar, and an axially movable drive shaft extending through an opening in the collar to drive the collar. One end of the shaft engages one end of the swaging element as the shaft is axially moved toward the swaging element thus causing the element to be pivoted so that its free end is moved to swaging position. Subsequent rotation of the shaft will cause the free end of the swaging element to circumscribe a circle radially outwardly from the collar so that the tool may be used to deform a rim of a tubular member through which the tool has been inserted, thereby securing the member to the surface surrounding it.

As another feature of the invention, the engaging end of the shaft may be provided with a plurality of cam surfaces to form a lobe which is adapted to be selectively engaged with one end of the swaging element. The swaging element and the collar may be adapted to have their radial and angular relationship varied whereby the lobe and particular cam surface desired may be positioned to engage the one end of the swaging element. With this arrangement, the effective contact point is varied to thus change the moment arm about the pivot point.

Further features, objects, and advantages will be apparent with reference to the following drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view of the basic swaging tool of the invention in position as it has been used to fasten a thin sheet metal grommet to a wiring cell in an underfloor cellular wiring distribution system;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the basic I tool of the invention;

Patented June 1, 1965 FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a slightly modified form of the swaging tool of the invention in position to be used to fasten a tubular insert to the upper wall of a duct;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of extension'elements which may be utilized with the basic tool to form the modified tool of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the tool of FIG. 3 including a foot stop or holding arm.

Referring now to FIG. 1, 10 represents one cell of a multi-cellular metal floor and 11 represents a crossover duct or header being used in conjunction with a plurality of cells similar to it) to provide a distribution system for the electrical wiring needed in the building in which the cellular flooring is employed. The assembly 13 positioned on the upper wall of the duct 11 is a wiring junction unit which provides a passage to the surface of the floor to be installed over the cellular metal floorv The swaging tool of the invention is shown inserted through a thin sheet metal grommet 14, which is used to fasten the duct 11 to the cell 10 and to provide a smooth passage between the upper wall of cell 10 and the lower wall of duct 11; and the tool is in position as it has fastened the grommet 14 to the cell and the duct.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the basic swaging tool comprises a housing 20, a collar positioned within the housing composed of an upper member 21 and a swaging element holder 22, a swaging element 23 pivotally attached to the holder 22, and an axially movable drive shaft 24 extending through an opening 25 preferably coincident with the rotational axis of the collar to drive the collar. The lower edge of the housing 20 is provided with an inwardly extending flange 26 supporting a suitable bearing 27, which in turn rotatably supports the upper collar member 21. The portion of the opening 25 extending through the top flange of the upper collar member 21 has a cross-sectional shape which mates with the cross-section of the shaft 24 so that the rotation of the shaft will rotate the upper collar member. It should be understood that the shaft and opening may be given any cross-section desired and that the hexagonal shape shown in the drawings is merely exemplary. The upper collar member 21 may be sealed within the housing 20 by means of a cover 2% which is secured to the top of the housing by suitable fastening means such as a plurality of screws or studs, one of which is shown at 29. The cover 28 is provided with a central opening through which the axial extension 30 of upper collar member 21 may extend.

The swaging element holder 22 may be attached to the upper member 21 by suitable fastening means such as a plurality of studs or bolts. For this purpose, upper member 21 is provided with three threaded openings 31, 32, and 33, as shown in l IG. 2, which are respectively aligned with openings 34, 35, and 36 in swaging element holder 22. One of the studs suitable for being positioned in the openings is shown at 37. The holding member 22 is provided with two depending lugs 38- and 39, and the swaging element 23 is pivotally attached to the lugs 38 and 39 by means of shaft screw 4%. The lugs 38 and. 39 may be provided with one or more sets of openings 38a and 38b through which the shaft screw is inserted so that when rotated the swaging element 23 will circumscribe circles of different diameters depending upon the point of attachment.

The lower end of the shaft 24 is provided with an enlargement 41 adapted to fit within an opening 42 in the holder 22. The lower tip of the enlargement is adapted to fit between the lugs 38 and 39, and it may be provided with cam surfaces 43a and 4312, which are adapted to selectively operate towards and engage cam surface 44 on one end of swaging element 23, as will be hereinafter described. The cam surfaces 43a and 43b may also be thought of as being one cam surface having a lobe or peak 430, which is the lowest edge of the tip of enlargement 41.

The free end 45 of swaging element 23 may be provided with some suitably contoured swaging surface which will provide the desired shape to the edge of grommet 14. For this purpose, the free end 45 may be provided with a roller secured by means of a screw 46. Utilizing a roller as the swaging surface is advantageous in that the roller provides a larger surface than would be provided by a fixed member thus increasing the service life of the swaging surface. Also, the roller may be replaced after it is worn without discarding the swaging element 23. Perhaps the greatest advantage of utilizing a roller as the swaging surface is that it provides a smoother operation than a fixed surface.

The swaging element 23 is attached to the holder 22 so that when the swaging tool is held in a vertical position with the element 23 being the lowest element, the free end 45 of the element will hang downwardly so that the tool may be inserted through a tubular or annular member to be swaged, such as grommet 14. Moving the drive shaft axially towards the swaging element 23 causes the cam surface 43a (FIG. 1) to approach cam surface 44. This action pivots the swaging element about the shaft screw 40 so that the free end 45 is moved into engagement with the lower edge of the grommet 14. Rotating the shaft 24 by means of a brace, drill, or other suitable means will cause the collar and the swaging element 23 to rotate so that the free end 45 of the swaging element will circumscribe a circle; and as placed in the position shown in FIG. 1, will have deformed the lower edge of the grommet 14, thus securing it to the cell 10. The engagement of cam surfaces 43a and 44 prevents swaging of the thin grommet material beyond its useful contour. It should be noted that the lower surface of the housing 29 rests on the top surface of the grommet 14 and on the surrounding duct surface. A slight downward pressure will normally provide enough friction to prevent rotation of the housing 20 and grommet 14 so that the grommet, housing, and the lower race of the bearing 27 remain stationary while the upper race, the collar, and attached parts will rotate. The housing may also be provided with a holding means as will be hereinafter described.

It should be noted that in FIG. 1 the swaging element 23 is attached to the holder 22 by screw 4t) extending through the radially inner set of openings 38a in lugs 38 and 39 so that the free end 45 of the element 23 will circumscribe a circle of a diameter equal to the diameter of 1 grommet 14. With the shaft positioned as shown, cam surface 43a properly engages cam surface 44. In the event a grommet of larger diameter is to be installed, the element 23 may be attached to the holder 22 by passing screw 40 through the radially opposite set of openings 38b in lugs 38 and 39, as indicated in FIG. 2. When the element is to be so positioned, the element 23 should be rotated 180 with respect to holder 22 so that cam surface 43!) will properly mate with cam surface 44. With this arrangement, the varying torque resistances resulting at the different swaging element locations may be easily overcome by manual operation of the tool. In either of the two positions of element 23, it should be noted that the tip portion of enlargement 41 fits between the lugs 38 and 39 and that the downward movement of the enlargement is limited by inwardly extending flange portions, one of which is shown at 47, within the opening 42 in holder 22, FIG. 2.

When installing members which have a greater axial length than a grommet such as insert 48, shown positioned in the upper wall of underfloor duct 49 in FIG. 3, it is necessary that the collar be sufficiently elongated so that the swaging element may be inserted through the lower end of the insert while the housing rests on the upper sur face of the insert. One means of doing this is to merely increase the axial length of the collar, and in order to utilize the elements of the basic tool, heretofore described,

an extension member 59, FIGS. 3 and 4, may be conveniently added between the upper and lower collar members 21 and 22. The extension 59 is provided with a set of openings in its upper flange 51 which mate with openings 31, 32, and 33 in collar member 21, and the lower flange 52 is provided with a set of openings which mate with the openings 34, 35, and 36 in member 22. If the shape of the insert is such that additional tool length is needed, the swaging element may be given substantially the shape of a bell crank, as indicated at 53. When the swaging element 53 is in swaging position, as shown in FIG. 3, one arm 54 is in contact with the enlargement 41 while the free arm 55 extends downwardly so that the roller 56 attached at an angle thereto engages the edge of the insert extending through the opening in the duct 49.

It should be noted that arm 54 is shaped such that when the shaft 24 and element holder 22 are positioned as shown in FIG. 3, cam surface 43a does not actually mate with the surface of arm 54. Instead merely the lowest edge or lobe 430 of the cam surfaces on enlargement 41 contacts the arm 54. Since the point of contact determines the length of the moment arm around shaft screw 40, it will be appreciated that with the arrangement shown, a greater moment arm is obtained because of the relationship between pin 40 and lobe 43c. The additional leverage thus obtained facilitates hand operation of the tool when installing members similar to insert 48, which is considerably heavier than grommet 14.

Since the insert 48 has a larger diameter than the collar, a locator member 64 is provided to center the swaging tool. The locator 64 is formed with a pair of lugs 57 and 58 by which the locator may be secured to the lower surface of the housing 20. The inner diameter of the locator 64 is such that the extension 50 fits therein. The lower end of the locator 64 has a reduced diameter so that the locator will fit within the insert 48 and the nonreduced portion forms a flange 59 that engages the insert 48. The locator 64 serves to locate the swaging tool both radially and axially with respect to the insert so that the swaging element 53 is placed in the proper position. It should, of course, be realized that different lengths of extension 50 may be employed to install inserts of different lengths.

When the extension 59 is to be added to the basic swaging tool, it is desirable that the angular position of shaft 24 with respect to the attaching holes in element holder 22 be left unchanged. Consequently, a rivet 69 may be positioned in one of the side walls of shaft 24 near the shaft upper end to prevent inadvertent removal from upper collar member 21 while adding extension member 59.

A perspective view of the swaging tool being employed in FIG. 3 is shown in FIG. 5 and shows connected thereto a foot stop or holding arm 61 attached to the outer surface of housing 26 by means of screws 62 and 63 or other suitable fastening means. The holding arm 61 serves as a convenient lever which may be held stationary to prevent the housing 20 from rotating. It should be noted that foot stop or arm 61 may be so constructed that it is slightly less than horizontal when the tool is in vertical position, and hence will not fall and prevent entrance to the insert 48.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. For example, while the drive shaft 24 has been shown and described as having particular cam surfaces adapted to operate and engage the swaging element, any suitable surface may be employed. Also, rather than being movable, the shaft may, of course, be pivotally attached to the element. Further, the particular size and shape of the swaging elements utilized may be varied for different applications. Accordingly, it is intended in the appended 7 claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A swaging tool comprising: an outer housing, a collar having an opening therein and rotatably supported within said housing, a swaging element having a free end and a cam end, said element pivotally attached between said free end and said cam end to one end of the collar, an axially movable drive shaft extending through and engaging an opening in said collar to drive said collar, and one end of said shaft adapted to engage said swaging element as the shaft is axially moved towards the swaging element to cause the swaging element to be pivoted so that the free end of said element is moved to swaging position.

2. A swaging tool comprising: an outer housing, a collar having an opening therein and rotatably supported within said housing, a swaging element having a free end and a cam end, said element pivotally attached between said free end and said cam end to one end of the collar, an axially movable drive shaft extending through and engaging an opening coincident with the rotational axis of said collar to drive the collar, and one end of said shaft being adapted to engage said cam end of said swaging element as the shaft is axially moved toward the swaging element to cause the swaging element to be pivoted so that the free end of the element is moved to swaging position.

3. The tool of claim 2 in which a swaging roller is positioned on the free end of the swaging element.

4. The tool of claim 2 including a holding arm attached to said housing for holding said housing stationary.

5. A swaging tool comprising: an outer housing, an annular locator member attached to one end of said housing, a collar having an opening therein and rotatably supported within said housing, a collar extension attached to one end of said collar and extending through said locator member, a swaging element having a free end and a cam end, said element pivotally attached between said cam end and said free end to one end of the collar extension, an axially movable drive shaft extending through and engaging an opening coincident with the rotational axis of said collar and said collar extension to drive the collar and its extension, and one end of said shaft being adapted to engage said cam end of said swaging element as the shaft is axially moved towards the swaging element to cause the swaging element to be pivoted so that the free end of the element is moved to swaging position.

6. The tool of claim 5 in which said locator member has an outwardly extending flange.

'7. A swaging tool comprising: an outer housing, a collar rotatably supported within said housing, a swaging element having a substantially bellcrank shape, said element having a cam arm and a free arm, said element pivotally attached at the angle of the bellcrank to one end of the collar, a drive shaft extending through and engaging an opening coincident with the rotational axis of said collar to drive the collar, and one end of said shaft being adapted to engage said cam arm of said swaging element as the shaft is axially moved towards the swaging element to cause the swaging element to be pivoted so that the free arm of the element is moved to swaging position.

8. The tool of claim 7 in which a swaging roller is positioned on the free arm of the swaging element.

9. The tool of claim 7 including a holding arm attached to said housing for holding said housing stationary.

10. A swaging tool comprising: an outer housing, a collar having an opening therein and rotatably supported within said housing, a swaging element having a free end and a cam end, said element pivotally attached between said free end and said cam end to one end of the collar, an axially movable drive shaft extending through and engaging an opening coincident with the rotational axis of said collar to drive the collar, one end of said shaft having a plurality of cam surfaces which are adapted to selectively engage said cam end of said swaging element as the shaft is axially moved toward the swaging element to cause the element to be pivoted so that the free end of the element is moved to a limited swaging position, and said swaging element and said collar being adapted to have their radial and angular relationship varied whereby the particular cam surface desired may be positioned to engage said one end of the swaging element to thereby vary the moment arm about the pivot point.

11. A swaging tool comprising: an outer housing, a collar having an opening therein and rotatably supported within said housing, a swaging element having a free end and a cam end, said element pivotally attached between said free end and said cam end to one end of the collar, an axially movable drive shaft extending through and engaging an opening coincident with the rotational axis of said collar to drive the collar, one end of said shaft having a cam surface with a lobe offset from the axis of said shaft and adapted to be engaged with said cam end of said swaging element as the shaft is axially moved toward the swaging element to cause the element to be pivoted so that the free end of the element is moved to swaging position, and said swaging element and said collar being adapted to have their radial and angular relationship varied whereby the point of contact of said cam lobe along the cam end of said swaging element may be varied.

12. A swaging tool comprising: an outer housing, a collar having an opening therein and rotatably supported within said housing, a swaging element having a free end and a cam end, said element pivotally attached between said free end and said cam end to one end of the collar, an axially movable drive shaft extending through and engaging an opening coincident with the rotational axis of said collar to drive the collar, one end of said shaft being adapted to engage said cam end of said swaging element as the shaft is axially moved towards the swaging element to cause the element to be pivoted so that the free end of the element is moved to swaging position, and said tool having means adapted to limit the axial movement of said shaft.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 318,927 5/85 Rothlisberger 15382 1,370,039 3/ 21 Newman. 1,440,057 12/22 Clements. 1,476,756 12/ 23 Junkers 218-38 1,809,154 6/31 Becker 21838 2,192,502 3/40 Newman. 2,319,235 5/43 Hothersall 15382 2,526,025 10/50 Hoeppe 15382 2,578,619 12/51 Wiesmann 218--38 FOREIGN PATENTS 777,938 12/ 34 France.

CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner. i

NEDWIN BERGER, Examiner. 

1. A SWAGING TOOL COMPRISING: AN OUTER HOUSING, A COLLAR HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN AND ROTATABLY SUPPORTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING, A SWAGING ELEMENT HAVING A FREE END AND A CAM END, SAID ELEMENT PIVOTALLY ATTACHED BETWEEN SAID FREE END AND SAID CAM END TO ONE END OF THE COLLAR, AND AXIALLY MOVABLE DRIVE SHAFT EXTENDING THROUGH AND ENGAGING AN OPENING IN SAID COLLAR TO DRIVE SAID COLLAR, AND ONE END OF SAID SHAFT ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID SWAGING ELEMENT AS THE SHAFT IS AXIALLY MOVED TOWARDS THE SWAGING ELEMENT TO CAUSE THE SWAGING ELEMENT TO BE PIVOTED SO THAT THE FREE END OF SAID ELEMENT IS MOVED TO SWAGING POSITION. 